Open AccessCare Recipient Controlling and Manipulative Behavior and Caregiver Depressive Symptoms: The Role of Race, Caregiver Resentment, and Mutual Communal Behavior
Author(s) -
M. H. Johnson,
Charles E. Lance,
Gail M. Williamson
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the gerontologist/the gerontologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.524
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1758-5341
pISSN - 0016-9013
DOI - 10.1093/geront/gnab087
Subject(s) - resentment , psychology , psychological intervention , clinical psychology , depressive symptoms , distress , mediation , caregiver burden , developmental psychology , anxiety , medicine , psychiatry , disease , sociology , social science , politics , political science , law , dementia , pathology
We explored whether relationship quality, as measured by mutual communal behavior, would serve as a buffer against caregiver resentment and, consequently, depressive symptoms when care recipients (CRs) engage in problem behavior (i.e., controlling and manipulative behavior [CMB]). Using the common core model of caregiver distress, we hypothesized that caregiver resentment would explain why caregivers were depressed when their CRs engage in CMB. We predicted that the indirect effect of CRCMB on depressive symptoms via resentment would depend on the strength of the communal bond between the caregiver and CR. Resentment was expected to play a significant role in explaining the association between CRCMB and depressive symptoms for caregivers in less communal relationships, but a small or nonexistent role for those in highly communal relationships. We also investigated whether these effects were different for Black and White caregivers.